i just got back into biking last summer. I bought myself a rather cheap (too cheap, as it turned out) kona mountain bike (a lava dome, if that means anything to anyone) and almost completely wore it out in about three months (i'm exaggerating, but not much). since i was enjoying riding so much, i decided to upgrade a little and bought a cube pro ltd. a little more money, but it rides very, very nicely and it's about a billion times more durable. i'm really happy with it.

"Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little."

Holy cow!!! Congrats! Makes my hooping, walking, and stair climbing seem lazy. Never took to biking as a sport. Don't like wearing a helmet and don't like having my bum in the air like that. But that's just me. Keep up the good work.

Holy cow!!! Congrats! Makes my hooping, walking, and stair climbing seem lazy. Never took to biking as a sport. Don't like wearing a helmet and don't like having my bum in the air like that. But that's just me. Keep up the good work.

hey, thanks, appreciate that.

and you'll never hear me downplay or say anything bad about simple walking or stair climbing. i put on a bit of weight in my late 30s, as one does, and i tried various things to work it off - elliptical, jump rope, & so on. they all helped, but it was mostly long walks every day, regardless of conditions outside, that really put me back to what i'd consider my fighting weight.

my neighbor actually has a hoop business. i help her get her massive collection of hoops in and out of her apartment every now and then. she does special events, goes to schools to teach fitness, things like that. when i first heard her describe her business, i thought it seemed a bit silly, but apparently it's been a big success for her so far.

"Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little."

Remember when I did 1,000 push-ups earlier this year? I kind of tweaked something in my left shoulder around the 850th push-up. It never really hurt, except while doing benchpresses. And even then, it wasn't pain exactly - it was just weakness.

All this year, my benchpress has been way lower than it was last year. There just was no strength in my left shoulder. I was lucky to press 200 pounds. Yuck!

I can't say it's felt any better lately but last night I went to the gym. I felt better! In fact, 216 pounds was nothing. So I did 266 and it wasn't too hard. Why not go for it?!?

Good news - I pushed up 306! And, I got it in video! I was pretty fired up about that. Then we went to go see "Dunkirk" and I guit un-fired up (what a horrible, depressing movie), but still - I got back to 306!

We just got up to the mountain house here in New Mexico, where I get to spend the next 3.5 weeks. So, I hooked up with the softball guys yesterday afternoon for a 2 1/2 hour practice. I'm sore in the places I figured I'd be, and I couldn't bend down for worm-burning grounders that were a step or two to either side, but that was to be expected. What WASN'T expected?

I can barely throw the ball! My arm was always average, no cannon or anything. But it was OK for an outfielder. Now however, it's a noodle! I played some third base and it was all I could do to get the ball over to first in the air. The best feeling I had all day was the one time I actually threw it OVER the first baseman's head. Sad!

Everything is in working order. My shoulder is fine; all muscles in the right arm are as strong as ever; I think my back and legs are in good working order; and yet - no power at ALL. I'm hoping that if I throw enough, I'll get some distance and velocity back. Gosh, I hope so! This is embarrassing!

Way on the lower end of fitness is I . I moved from Boston to Worcester and now walk to work a lot. That means a 25 minute walk done at a clip. It use to be a 35 minute walk just 4 months ago!

Awesome! Walking is probably the best thing we can do for our hearts. I envy you!

Thanks, my last job in Boston meant traveling close to 2 hours each way;I spent that time sitting. Oncce i got to work I stood on my feet in a jewelry store which really messed up my knees. Now I sit on my butt when I get to work. I am very conscious of the fact that at 55 (turn 56 in August) my health has to be a priority. Many people in their 50's were able to turn their life around due to making consistent changes in health and diet.

There came a time when the risk of remaining tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom. Anais Nin.

hey! - it appears there's a new gym or something opening near me - what exactly is "crossfit"? ....heard about it, but - is it like, insane MILITARY stuff or something??!! I won't like, die trying it,will I??!!

Back from the mountains! We got back Wednesday night. I didn't hit the gym once in the 24 days we were gone, but I did 100 push-ups almost every day. And I played a good bit of softball, but I pulled a hamstring muscle. Dang it! I was still able to play, although I played catcher so I wouldn't have to run after anything.

I did a lot of hard physical labor around the house, too. All in all, I think I maintained fitness pretty well. But I'm going to the gym tomorrow, so we'll see for sure!

Remember when I did 1,000 push-ups earlier this year? I kind of tweaked something in my left shoulder around the 850th push-up. It never really hurt, except while doing benchpresses. And even then, it wasn't pain exactly - it was just weakness.

All this year, my benchpress has been way lower than it was last year. There just was no strength in my left shoulder. I was lucky to press 200 pounds. Yuck!

I can't say it's felt any better lately but last night I went to the gym. I felt better! In fact, 216 pounds was nothing. So I did 266 and it wasn't too hard. Why not go for it?!?

Good news - I pushed up 306! And, I got it in video! I was pretty fired up about that. Then we went to go see "Dunkirk" and I guit un-fired up (what a horrible, depressing movie), but still - I got back to 306!

Remember when I did 1,000 push-ups earlier this year? I kind of tweaked something in my left shoulder around the 850th push-up. It never really hurt, except while doing benchpresses. And even then, it wasn't pain exactly - it was just weakness.

All this year, my benchpress has been way lower than it was last year. There just was no strength in my left shoulder. I was lucky to press 200 pounds. Yuck!

I can't say it's felt any better lately but last night I went to the gym. I felt better! In fact, 216 pounds was nothing. So I did 266 and it wasn't too hard. Why not go for it?!?

Good news - I pushed up 306! And, I got it in video! I was pretty fired up about that. Then we went to go see "Dunkirk" and I guit un-fired up (what a horrible, depressing movie), but still - I got back to 306!

Thats a lot! I go to the gym regulary, but never pushed that much.

I never thought I would, either. But about 10 years ago I got the weight-lifting advice that changed my life. It was two things, which were:

1. Do as many sets with the most weight you can possibly lift; and2. Don't ever count reps

Not counting reps was probably the key to my strength gains. The trainer told me, "Why are you counting? Do you get a prize or something at 12 reps? Just do as many reps as you can - that's what a set should be".

That's the way I try to do it every time now. And, boy does it work! In the old days, I'd set a rep goal for each set and of course, it was a goal I knew I could reach. Therefore, I wasn't getting complete results from any set. What that really meant was that effectively, my workouts were a waste of time (and money).

When I looked at it that way, not counting reps made perfect sense. After all, I felt that if I was going to go to the time and trouble to get to the gym and move weights around, I should be getting the most I could out of it each time I did it. Right? Right!

Then, when I added the concept of doing the most weight I could at least once in each exercise set routine, that was just icing on the cake.

If you want to increase your best in any exercise, try those concepts. Let me know how they work! (Although I already know you will set personal bests in whatever you apply this to )

RodeoSchro said: Thats a lot! I go to the gym regulary, but never pushed that much.

I never thought I would, either. But about 10 years ago I got the weight-lifting advice that changed my life. It was two things, which were:

1. Do as many sets with the most weight you can possibly lift; and2. Don't ever count reps

Not counting reps was probably the key to my strength gains. The trainer told me, "Why are you counting? Do you get a prize or something at 12 reps? Just do as many reps as you can - that's what a set should be".

That's the way I try to do it every time now. And, boy does it work! In the old days, I'd set a rep goal for each set and of course, it was a goal I knew I could reach. Therefore, I wasn't getting complete results from any set. What that really meant was that effectively, my workouts were a waste of time (and money).

When I looked at it that way, not counting reps made perfect sense. After all, I felt that if I was going to go to the time and trouble to get to the gym and move weights around, I should be getting the most I could out of it each time I did it. Right? Right!

Then, when I added the concept of doing the most weight I could at least once in each exercise set routine, that was just icing on the cake.

If you want to increase your best in any exercise, try those concepts. Let me know how they work! (Although I already know you will set personal bests in whatever you apply this to )

So you would maybe do three sets and each with as many repetitions you need to reach failure? And I don't quite understand the first point? Like drop sets or do mean taking the heaviest weight you can lift? But that would basically mean just 2-3 reps, wouldn't it?

I never thought I would, either. But about 10 years ago I got the weight-lifting advice that changed my life. It was two things, which were:

1. Do as many sets with the most weight you can possibly lift; and2. Don't ever count reps

Not counting reps was probably the key to my strength gains. The trainer told me, "Why are you counting? Do you get a prize or something at 12 reps? Just do as many reps as you can - that's what a set should be".

That's the way I try to do it every time now. And, boy does it work! In the old days, I'd set a rep goal for each set and of course, it was a goal I knew I could reach. Therefore, I wasn't getting complete results from any set. What that really meant was that effectively, my workouts were a waste of time (and money).

When I looked at it that way, not counting reps made perfect sense. After all, I felt that if I was going to go to the time and trouble to get to the gym and move weights around, I should be getting the most I could out of it each time I did it. Right? Right!

Then, when I added the concept of doing the most weight I could at least once in each exercise set routine, that was just icing on the cake.

If you want to increase your best in any exercise, try those concepts. Let me know how they work! (Although I already know you will set personal bests in whatever you apply this to )

So you would maybe do three sets and each with as many repetitions you need to reach failure? And I don't quite understand the first point? Like drop sets or do mean taking the heaviest weight you can lift? But that would basically mean just 2-3 reps, wouldn't it?

If you're trying to increase size/strength, then do as many sets as you can. I don't do EVERY set at max weight, though. For each exercise, I do 2 or 3 "warm-up" sets. For instance with thebenchpress, here's how I work it:

Set 9 - 126 pounds, with a 1/3 - full rep motion (for the first rep, you only go 1/3 of the way up, then back down, and then do a full rep) Max reps and man, does this one burn!

That sounds like a lot and it might be, but benchpress is my main exercise. And I don't rest much more than a minute or so between sets. I forgot to mention that reducing my rest time between sets was also a big help.

This whole benchpress routine takes no more than 15 minutes, maybe 18 max. And honestly, if I could get t othe gym more regularly, I'd add a set there in the middle. That's how I did it when I made my most gains.

Keep in mind that pretty much all I care about when it comes to measuring gains is benchpress. This is because: (1) it's an exercise that develops the entire upper body; and (2) it's the exercise most people associate with strength. I feel better saying to myself, "Hey, I just benched 300 pounds!" than I do telling myself "Wow, I curled 80 pounds!" But this is just me; others have different goals.

EDIT: I also do 100 push-ups pretty much every morning when I wake up. That's a GREAT exercise and will build your triceps better than anything else I know of. Also, since I started doing push-ups every morning about 20 months ago, I haven't been sick for one minute!

Thanks! Bench press I guess will never really be my go to exercise as my chest is already quite large compared to my arms, for example. In fact, I had someone come up to me at the gym, asking what I'm doing to build my chest. Well, nothing, basically. Of course other exercises will also target the chest, but I'm really not doing specific chest exercises.

Yes, I heard. A year or so ago I used to watch his youtube videos. I don't know what exactly happened and maybe I'm out of line here, but I don't know... maybe that's a life you don't lead for too long.

Just discovered this thread after I started back walking yesterday. Long time walker. Tequila shots last night aren't helping my motivation today but I will prevail! Going to try daily push-ups, starting with 10. Rodeo's 100 are just inspiration/showing off.

What a difference a hurricane makes. One day you're posting about coming back home and going to the gym, the next day, whoosh! Hoping Rodeo, Ufo et al get back to normal ASAP. Big telethon for Harvey on Sept 12.